Thursday, February 25, 2010

My event masks are always my chance to do something truly outlandish, and work freely without worrying about going back and doing colors. Usually I'm conservative about the amount of unique textures needed for a mask, since for every one I do it increases the amount of total colored textures exponentially. Event masks like the King and Queen of the Dead are my chance to go all out and create an art piece. Unfortunately, this sacrifices their versatility and sometimes their popularity, as I'm less likely to please everyone if it's not available the way they want it.

With these masks, I couldn't let myself condemn it to only one day a year. I found myself wanting it in my own colors as undoubtedly you will when you try it on.

My first Volto in years, this is probably the best I'm going to be able to do for a full face mask without meshes. The lips are still a separate prim, but now blend better than ever. However, SL's object shading will still make the seam visible, but not if you have a no-shader WL setting (a setting that removes the lines on your face, like a face light did back in the days). If your computer can't handle WL settings, setting the mask full bright can work as well. But honestly, it's not really that bad.

These masks are the first event masks to be scripted, and they include the same palette of colors as my more recent masks. The lips change to complimenting colors, but you can also choose contrasting ones if you like, and play around with different effects. The white base of the mask is the only part that does not change, for the sake of better blending with the lip prim.

I've been wanting to make a lot of little changes everywhere, like my blog header and profile picture etc, and just freshen everything to feel more current. You might notice that I changed my vendor template a little. Nothing drastic, just a little touch up, but I think it seems cleaner and fresher. I eventually want to redo my entire store build, but trying to not do anything extreme yet!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

I completed the new event hall just in time for the Masque! We gave it a hell of a christening.I tried very hard to make the interior ornate and detailed while still being rez-friendly, and I wanted to have as many picture friendly places as possible. I also wanted it to feel grand, and able to hold a full sim's worth of people yet still able to actually hear chat on the other side of it. I'm so proud to say I succeeded!The way people work within the rules of the outfits never fails to impress me. I love to see people get creative and the time they spend planning pays off. You guys are always unfailingly and impeccably well dressed!

As always, there was a vote to determine who would be the Mardi Gras King and Queen, and be awarded the two unique masks made especially for the event. Aceius Hax was a clear favorite, looking very dapper with his cane and tailored, colorful suit. Kala Lunasea turned heads with her golden skin and vibrantly colored coat. In the end, they turned out to be a very good match!

The King and Queen masks will be released soon, I have a few tweaks I'd like to make, but I'm very proud to have made an elegant Volto after all this time. Took me long enough, yeesh.

Everyone was very good company, and six hours flew by! Before I knew it, it was just me and few other folks dancing, listening to the music, and quietly being busy at hour eight o.o No matter how long you stayed, your presence was enjoyed. This was my fourth annual Mardi Gras masquerade, and I'm so happy to continue this tradition. It was the best yet, and I want to thank you for being a part of this celebration of masks and fabulousness. I hope to see you at the next one!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

My Columbina Venetzia is still one of my favorite masks, but it's getting on in years and I don't think it really expresses the best that I can do anymore. So I set out to make a new signature mask that is in the same heart but in my new style. Unfortunately, when I know that I'm going to be looking at something for the next year or so as an example of my work, I turn into the Amazing Nitpicking Machine and can not be appeased by anything but a magnitude of effort for every tiny detail. But, it always ends up worth it, and this mask is no exception!

I finally have a new favorite mask. I can't get enough of filigree and delicate curls, and the shape of the eye and the way it flatters the face has a sense of mystique I just adore. It shares the same selection of colors as the Mezzadorno, Perorno, and Delitesco, though I made a small adjustment to the red color in all of them. It seemed a bit washed out, so if that was bothering you I'll be happy to send you an update, just ask :)

I'll be slowly working on new promotional pictures for the store, maybe even setting up a new vendor design. I don't know if I'll be able to get around to redoing every single vendor, but the least I can do is start the newest items off on it. You might have already noticed that my blog header has had an increase in spiffy-ness, and that's foreshadowing for more to come.

It feels good to be getting back to normal, but it also is scary because of all the stuff I need to do. I need to do a lot of catching up and cleaning up, and I never feel like I have enough time. To the people who are waiting on me, hang in there, I'm doing my best!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Hearts? Pink? Red? Nah, you've had enough of that. How about some frickin' TIGER stuff huh? That's right, it's the year of the tiger, officially the most awesome year of Chinese astrology aside from the dragon, but you can't go and see a dragon at the zoo (oh how we can wish though). So, the year of the tiger is officially the most badass year of the existent animals. And they can eat you, which is bonus awesome.

I wasn't going to waste the opportunity to skip on the hearts, and so my update group gets to have what's no doubt a welcome change of pace from V-day. You can fish this out of the notices of Masqueraderie for the next 14 days, but make sure to get it today so you can wish everyone a happy new year!

I'm proud of myself with this mask, because I took a chance to explore painting directly onto the model rather than relying completely on materials and prims to do my detail work. It took me a long and frustating several hours just struggling with the markings on the forehead (grrrr!) but I'm happy with the results and I do feel I learned something. Unfortunately textures still get too distorted on the sculpt for high detail work, but for this its just fine.

Anyway, tigers are awesome. People born in the year of the tiger are adventurous, dynamic and impulsive. They're affectionate and passionate and love attention, and may have a tendency to get in your face if you haven't fed them and maybe shun you if you come home smelling like another tiger. They're also generous, charismatic, snuggly, and they love sunbeams and young children named Calvin.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

I'm feeling better, getting things back to normal, and so I felt up to releasing something I was working on last week before things went the way they did.

Delitesco is full of mystique and sensuousness just in time for Valentine's Day. It's elegant and has a touch of modern timelessness. It changes to the usual selection of twelve colors, and the lace can also change to black, white, or you can hide it completely. It's an alpha texture overlay, so it might have conflicts on certain hair styles. Make sure you try the demo before you buy it :)

Thursday, February 4, 2010

My apologies if you've been trying to contact me online for the past few days, I haven't been myself. My cat of over 15 years, who was very much loved and a cherished part of my life had a rapid decline in health at the beginning of the week, and today we finally had to bid her goodnight. My emotions have been run ragged and I just can't find an appetite to eat, much less work or create. If you're waiting on customer service please be patient with me, if I can attend to your questions or issues offline I'll do my best. But I just can't log in right now, I'm sorry.

Monday, February 1, 2010

I'm still giving this hunt thing a try, so far I have no idea if anyone has actually made it to my store from the Shoes and Accessories Hunt (good ol' #150), so I'm bringing my experimenting with hunts to a different approach, which is the small and intimate hunt with a very strong theme.

Morgaine Price's modest hunt with around 30 designers is more up my alley, and is heavily fantasy themed. Most of the designers create fantasy clothing for women, and include folks like Deviance and Wishbox. And myself, of course!

In keeping with the theme of fantasy and romance, my offering for the hunt is the Amorno mask:A sweet, feminine valentines-appropriate visage, this mask can be found inside a red rose hidden somewhere in my store. I apologize to the guys for such a girly offering, but it's an extremely girly hunt! You grabbed the horns from that other hunt, right?

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